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Creeping things that make law

Jul 17th 2012

The American Legislative Exchange Council convention being held In Utah this week is best viewed as a family reunion with all the usual shameful secrets. After all, a vast number of Utah GOP lawmakers have been entertained, lavishly fed and have generally snuggled up with ALEC and its big-industry patrons for years.

ALEC pretends to be a conservative alternative to the National Conference of State Legislatures that trains lawmakers, right and left, on issues and effective governing. But instead of policy experts, it's industry lobbyists who tutor ALEC’s legislative members. If you love your capitalism unchained, it doesn’t get any better.

Even the left has to admit ALEC’s stealth approach is brilliant. Instead of industries sending lobbyists to each state’s legislature—ALEC conveniently brings lawmakers to its gatherings, where they work and socialize with member industries and special interests, including the American Tort Reform Association, Chemical Manufacturers Association, Americans United for Life, ExxonMobil and Koch Companies Public Sector. The lawmakers are provided with fill-in-the-blanks legislation to take back home.

If the concept reminds you of fire ants carrying the exterminator’s poison back to their own nests–you’ve basically got it.